Winding up to leave Nepal, but still had time for a visit to Kumar's house!

So its been a hectic few weeks before I left Nepal - getting the new samples finished to show buyers, as well our Autumn/Winter production that wiill be available shortly! It is always a mad rush before I come back to the UK, and it is stressful to try and do things fast in Nepal for sure!

But I had promised Kumar, the sample maker at NLT Leather factory, that I would meet his family again before I left.  So on the Saturday before I left, I went to visit them at their house down near the river in Tripureshwor. Cor blimey his kids seemed to have grown up since I last saw them in December. 

Alina has just finished college and joined an adminstrative training course, hoping to get a job at the end of it, and Alish seems to have grown a couple of extra foot, but is still as shy as before! As it is the beginning of the festival season, Alina had a go at the mendhi on the palm of my hand - all the women have these beautiful designs in henna on their hands and feet - she drew a beautiful design so fast, it was impressive!

I had a random meal that Kumar had asked his wife Usha to make for me - a weird mixture of all the different food he knows i like - roti, vegetables, coconut rice pudding and yoghurt curd, washed down with some bright orange Fanta (hey, I know it is so wrong, but when you are hot and sweaty, a bit of sugary fizz is the best 'pick me up'!).  Also, Kumar still can't get his head round the fact that I don't eat meat....

I had got Alish a stunt kite thing from UK, as I had heard that last Dashain (festival in Sept/October) he was obsessed with kite flying. I was worried that maybe at 14 yrs old he had grown out of it, but Kumar said the next day at work, that his son was so excited about the kite - so I am well happy! Looking forward to see it in action when I am back in October.  For Alina, I gave her one of the bag samples me and Kumar had been working on - last time I was there, I saw that she was using one of my very old first samples that Kumar had repaired and fixed for her (it looked a sorry state!), so I wanted her to have a good sample that her father had made!

Lovely people, I am glad I went before I left Nepal!

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Maithil Art in progress at Sana Hastakala....

Sana Hastakala, the fair trade producer group that makes our Jogi Bag Range, are having a refurbishment in their showroom and shop in Kathmandu.  Over the last week when I have been popping in about my new samples, Nepali women from Janakpur have been painting these amazing designs on all the walls.

I asked the team at Sana Hastakala about the paintings, and they are all traditional Maithil art designs, depicting familiar Nepalese scenes. So I bought this book about the Janakpur Women's Development Centre in South Nepal, which describes the tradition as such:

"The paintings are rooted in traditions which Maithil women have passed down through generations.  On the occasion of marriage or festivals such as Deepawali, Maithil women paint lively designs on the mud walls of their houses....In monsoon season the paintings fase or wash away". 

It was the Janakpur Women's Development Centre that helped these talented women to transfer their wall designs to paper.  Now the designs are seen on a range of products such as coasters, fabric hangings, book covers, furniture and boxes etc, which are also sold at the Sana Hastakala shop.

Its great that they are promoting this craft, and the women have been labouring over the designs all week - I can't wait to see how they look when finished!

Also, it has given me thoughts for initial inspiration for print designs for AURA QUE - I should make a trip to Janakpur next time to check it out....

 

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All you need to make you smile on the way to work in the morning.....an elephant walking down the streets of Kathmandu

So of course you see elephants in Chitwan in the National Park in the South of Nepal, but I didnt expect to see an elephant on my cycle to the factory this morning!! That was a first for me - only in Kathmandu....

Good thing, cos it definitely made me smile!

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New Samples vs. Production.....

I have been trying my hardest to get our new Spring/Summer 2012 samples finished for upcoming viewings with our lovely stockists, and hopefully new wholesale buyers also!! 

As the leather factory does not have a seperate sampling department, I have been working around the ongoing production to sneak in a few new patterns and samples to add to our leather collection.  All are a 'work in process' but we are nearly there!! Kumar has been helping me get the samples ready - we are running a little late, but will be getting our catalogue finalised soon!

Throughout the year, I put together books of ideas for details, construction, pockets and texture - taken from magazines or library books or photos i take or ideas I draw.....anything I like the look of goes in there, until I refine my ideas each season for the new designs - its a good starting point!

I have only got 2 weeks left in Nepal sadly! But I have plenty of pics and stories to blog about, that I haven't had time to put up yet!!

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Making paper on the roof top in Bhaktapur...

The paper making process in Bhaktapur is all done by hand, each sheet individually - from the Lokta bark found in the Himalayas.  Though I went to see Ram & Aparna to collect my swing tickets and other stationary in Natural Lokta Paper, I took some pictures of the paper making process that is ongoing....

This is what the Lokta bark looks like - it is boiled into a pulp to make the paper.

It reminds me of doing paper mache when I was a kid! All the pulp is mixed with colour pigment or pressed flowers/leaves, and then sieved through these mesh screens, wiggled and drained to get an even layer in the net.  Then they are dried in the sun on the roof.

I only use the natural cream colour of the lokta paper for my products but at this point they were making bright red paper for an order of red boxes.

The lokta paper is then screen printed by hand into whatever design required - they also make it into notebooks, boxes, bags - you name it!!

Suryog, who is Ram & Aparna's teenage son, has written a book about Nepali Cultural symbols and traditions, based on all the history surrounding their home and business in Bhakapur, a World Heritage site.  His book has been carved onto metal blocks, page by page, and is printed (as with large repeat orders) on this German printing machine - looks very heavy duty! the mechanism swings the print block from the ink to the plain paper, stamping it, as the operator quickly changes the pages.

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What wood you use this traditional craft for?!

So I was at the Lokta paper making factory in Bhaktapur, sorting out my swing tickets/stationary order, last week.  I have blogged about my visits before, but this time I wanted to put on pictures of all the traditional hand-carved wooden pieces that Ram, Aparna's husband collects.  Ram is a fanatic for Nepali history and collects alot of traditional craft pieces - Suryog, their teenage son, showed me his father's new purchases, and he has some beautiful examples of Nepali hand-carving, that is used for window frames, doorways, and pillars in their traditional housing.

 

There are some great projects that preserve this traditonal skill - such as the amazing 5 star boutique hotel Dwarikas, that is in the East of Kathmandu.  Its built around a courtyard, with lots of original Nepali features - its lovely to go sit inthe restaurant and have a nice glass of wine!! Beats all the Yak & Yeti, Radisson, Hyatt etc, for sure, in my eyes!

http://www.dwarikas.com

"The Dwarika's commitment to heritage conservation dates back to 1952, when the founder of the hotel, the late Dwarika Das Shrestha came upon some carpenters sawing off the carved portion of an intricately carved wooden pillar. These pieces of exquisitely carved wood, several centuries old, were being used as firewood. The destruction of Nepal's heritage profoundly influenced Dwarika Das and he bought the half sawed pillar. What began as an impulsive action grew into a passion and ultimately a lifetime of work.

Dwarika Das Shrestha’s commitment towards meticulously collecting and documenting artifacts soon took on a life of its own. Faced with the problem of storing these works of art, Dwarika Das decided to construct a building in the old Newari style of Kathmandu, using the rescued doors and window frames. He envisioned that this new building, which would operate as a guest house, would give these restored treasures a new life and allow more people to appreciate Nepal’s ancient cultural history. The vision behind the Dwarika's Hotel was thus born."

 

ARNIKO is a great brand of skateboards and clothing, that uses the hand-crafted skills of Nepalese carpenters to produce some hand-carved designs on their skateboards - such great products!

http://shop.arnikoskateboards.com/

"Arniko Skateboards are literally made on top of the world using the ancient Himalayan craftsmanship of woodcarving. The Swiss design Skateboards, enriched with the traditions of Nepal, are nothing less than the beautiful result of the fusion of tradition and modernity.

Arniko Skateboards produces all its boards and a wide range of fashion articles in Nepal. It goes without saying that the company ...respects the natural beauty of the country and the dignity of its people in every step of its production. This commitment is well reflected in the company’s products. Each and every one of them treasures a glimpse of the pride of the Nepali people and a peek of the breathtaking beauty of the Himalayan landscape."

SO where could AURA QUE fit into this? Maybe using some hand-carved wooden handles or fittings down the line? Well its an idea at least for now!......

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Anyone want a hat?

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One stitch at a time.....AURA QUE leather production

So the AURA QUE A/W 2011 production is quietly moving forward....with all the components ready and delivered, all the producers are working really hard in the factory to get the leather bags ready by end of July! We are doing the production in batches, and it is getting there!

From top left, going clockwise: Man Bahadur folding straps, Bhim attaching the banana yarn wool panels, Surya folding tabs, and Shyam cutting d-ring tabs straight.

Left: Kumar checking a detail on our Shopper bag with Shanti

Right: Ram making the hobo bag using the foot powered sewing machine (despite the loadshedding schedule and power cuts!).

Left: The heavy cotton cut for the new Pocket Bag, ready for stitching.

RIght: Front pocket of the Small Handbag ready to be stitched to the body panel of the bag.

Left: Kumar working on the handle pattern for the Shopper Bag.

Right: Shanti stitching parts of the Pocket Bag together.

 

We are getting there on schedule!!

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All pieces hand-knitted for the bags....ready for leather production!

Finally our AURA QUE hand-knitted panels for the handbag range are now completed!  The women have all brought in the pieces that they have knitted at home over the last few weeks.  All the pieces had to be checked compared to the pattern size, with each piece inspected and cleaned up before I collected them all to take to the leather factory.

Checking all hand-knitted pieces once they have been completed.

The picture above shows the hub of Kumbeshwar hand-knitting department.  Laxmi Shoba heads up the production unit, coordinating all knitters and yarn supply.

Sanita Khadgi discussing with me about the new knitted purses for the AURA QUE Autumn/Wiinter collection, before they go into production this week - thats the next job!

 

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AURA QUE SALE - on past seasons' stock!

Check out our online boutique for summer sale prices on our bags and accessories from our archive....leather/knit bags for under £100, plus other great online bargains!

And for all our social media followers, here is an extra discount code - type in 'SUMMER2011' at the online check out to receive a further 10% off!

Happy Summer!!

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